CN112166008A

CN112166008A - Abrasive fluid jet cutting systems, components, and related methods for cutting sensitive materials

Info

Publication number: CN112166008A
Application number: CN201980034945.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 史蒂文·J·克里根; 穆罕默德·A·哈什希
Original assignee: Flow International Corp
Current assignee: Flow International Corp
Priority date: 2018-05-25
Filing date: 2019-05-13
Publication date: 2021-01-01
Anticipated expiration: 2039-05-13
Also published as: CN112166008B; KR102491059B1; US11318581B2; KR20200141093A; WO2019226397A1; EP3781353A1; US20190358775A1; EP3781353B1

Abstract

A fluid jet cutting system, components, and associated methods are provided for generating a relatively low-load abrasive fluid jet that is particularly well-suited for cutting brittle, fragile, or otherwise sensitive materials. An example method includes supplying fluid to an orifice having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.010 inches at an operating pressure of at least 60,000psi to produce a fluid jet, exiting a fluid jet cutting head through a jet channel having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.015 inches.

Description

Abrasive fluid jet cutting systems, components, and related methods for cutting sensitive materials

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to fluid jet cutting systems and related methods, and more particularly to abrasive water jet systems, components, and related methods that facilitate cutting brittle, or other sensitive materials with low-load abrasive water jets (abrasive waterjet).

Background

Water jet or abrasive water jet cutting systems are used to cut a variety of materials, including stone, glass, ceramics, and metals. In a typical water jet cutting system, high pressure water flows through a cutting head having a nozzle that directs a cutting jet onto a workpiece. The system may draw or feed an abrasive medium into the high pressure waterjet to form the high pressure abrasive waterjet. The cutting head may then be controllably moved across the workpiece to cut the workpiece as desired, or the workpiece may be controllably moved beneath the waterjet or abrasive waterjet. Systems for generating high pressure water jets are currently available, such as Mach 4 manufactured by Flow International Corporation, the assignee of the present application^TMFive water jet cutting systems. Other examples of water jet cutting systems are shown and described in U.S. patent 5,643,058 to Flow.

When cutting workpieces made of particularly hard materials to meet stringent standards, abrasive water jet cutting systems are advantageously used; however, the use of abrasives introduces complexity, and abrasive water jet cutting systems may suffer from other drawbacks, including the need to contain and manage the used abrasives. Known abrasive water jet cutting systems may not be particularly suitable for cutting or machining some types of brittle or brittle materials, such as printed circuit boards (which may include multiple laminated layers of metal and/or plastic).

Known options for cutting brittle or brittle materials (e.g., printed circuit boards or glass) include machining (e.g., drilling, routing) such materials with carbide and diamond coated carbide cutting tools (e.g., drill bits, routers). However, the machining forces from such cutting tools can promote workpiece failure, such as delamination, chipping, cracking, and the like. These types of cutting tools may also be prone to premature wear and must be replaced frequently to ensure an acceptable finish, thereby increasing operating costs. Furthermore, machining with cutting tools generates dust, which can create environmental hazards and negatively impact processability.

Accordingly, applicants believe that improved systems and methods for cutting brittle, or otherwise sensitive materials are desirable.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the fluid jet cutting systems, components, and related methods disclosed herein are particularly well suited for cutting or machining brittle, or otherwise sensitive materials to exacting standards.

As one example, a fluid jet cutting head that is particularly well suited for cutting or machining brittle, or other sensitive materials to exacting standards may be summarized as including: a nozzle body; an orifice mount housed within the nozzle body, the orifice mount including an orifice unit having an orifice for generating a jet of fluid during operation, the orifice having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.010 inches; a fluid delivery body having a fluid delivery conduit to supply a high pressure fluid stream to an orifice of an orifice mount to generate a fluid jet during operation; a mixing chamber disposed downstream of the orifice mount in a path of the fluid jet, the mixing chamber configured to receive an abrasive to be mixed with the fluid jet produced by the orifice of the orifice mount to form an abrasive fluid jet; and; a nozzle having a jet passage from which, during operation, a jet of abrasive fluid from a fluid jet cutting head is discharged, the jet passage having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.015 inches. In some cases, the orifice may have a diameter of less than or equal to 0.005 inches, less than or equal to 0.003 inches, less than or equal to 0.002 inches, or less than or equal to 0.001 inches. In some cases, the diameter of the fluidic channel can be less than or equal to 0.010 inches, less than or equal to 0.008 inches, or less than or equal to 0.006 inches. In some cases, the orifice may have a diameter of less than or equal to 0.005 inches, the fluidic channel may have a diameter of less than or equal to 0.010 inches, the orifice may have a diameter of less than or equal to 0.003 inches, the fluidic channel may have a diameter of less than or equal to 0.008 inches, or the orifice may have a diameter of less than or equal to 0.002 inches, and the fluidic channel may have a diameter of less than or equal to 0.006 inches. In some cases, a ratio of a diameter of the fluidic channel to a diameter of the orifice mount may be less than or equal to 3.0 and greater than or equal to 1.5. In some cases, the orifice of the orifice mount and the fluidic channel of the nozzle may be axially aligned with an offset deviation of less than 0.001 inches.

The fluid jet cutting head can further include a plurality of orifice mount adjusters configured to adjust a position of the orifice mount in a plane transverse to an axis defined by the orifice to align a fluid jet produced at the orifice with the jet channel of the nozzle.

The fluid jet cutting head may also include a mixing chamber insert. The mixing chamber insert may comprise a mixing chamber through which the fluid jet flows during operation, an abrasive inlet conduit through which the abrasive flow passes to the mixing chamber during operation, and an abrasive outlet conduit through which the abrasive flows out of the mixing chamber during operation. The intersection of the abrasive inlet conduit and the mixing chamber may be vertically offset from the intersection of the abrasive outlet conduit and the mixing chamber. The mixing chamber insert may comprise an abrasive inlet port located at the intersection of the abrasive inlet conduit and the mixing chamber and an abrasive outlet port located at the intersection of the abrasive outlet conduit and the mixing chamber, and the abrasive outlet port may be closer to the jet inlet of the mixing chamber insert than the abrasive inlet port, such that during operation the abrasive outlet port is located upstream of the abrasive inlet port relative to the flow path of the fluid jet through the mixing chamber insert.

The nozzle body may include: an abrasive entry passage extending from an exterior of the nozzle body to the mixing chamber for supplying abrasive to mix with a fluid jet generated at the orifice during operation, the abrasive entry passage defining an abrasive entry direction; and an abrasive exit passage extending from an exterior of the nozzle body to the mixing chamber for drawing off abrasive that is not mixed with the fluid jet, the abrasive exit passage defining an abrasive exit direction, and wherein a spread angle defined by the abrasive entry direction and the abrasive exit direction projected onto a reference plane perpendicular to an axis defined by the fluid jet is between 30 degrees and 150 degrees.

The fluid jet cutting system can include a fluid jet cutting head and a source of abrasive material coupled to the abrasive access passage of the nozzle body for supplying abrasive to be mixed with the fluid jet. The fluid jet cutting system can also include a vacuum source coupled to the abrasive exit passage of the nozzle body to assist in drawing the abrasive into the mixing chamber and for drawing off abrasive that is not mixed with the fluid jet. The fluid jet cutting system can also include an abrasive feed line coupling a source of abrasive material to the nozzle body and having an abrasive entry passage for supplying abrasive to the mixing chamber insert. The fluid jet cutting system can also include an abrasive suction line coupling the vacuum source to the nozzle body and having an abrasive exit passage for assisting in drawing abrasive into the mixing chamber insert and drawing abrasive not mixed with the fluid jet out of the mixing chamber insert during operation. The abrasive inlet passage of the abrasive supply line may have a cross-sectional area that is smaller (e.g., at least 10% smaller) than the cross-sectional area of the outlet passage of the suction line.

The fluid jet cutting system can include a fluid jet cutting head and a high pressure pump in fluid communication with the fluid jet cutting head and operable to supply high pressure fluid to the orifice at an operating pressure of at least 60,000psi, at least 70,000psi, at least 80,000psi, at least 90,000psi, at least 100,000psi, or at least 110,000 psi.

According to one embodiment, a method of operating a fluid jet cutting system may be summarized as including: supplying a fluid stream at an operating pressure of at least 60,000psi to an orifice of an orifice unit of an orifice mount disposed within a cutting head of a fluid jet system to produce a fluid jet that passes through a mixing chamber before passing through a jet channel of a nozzle located downstream of the mixing chamber, the orifice having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.010 inches, the jet channel having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.015 inches; mixing abrasive with the fluid jet within the mixing chamber to form an abrasive fluid jet to be discharged from the cutting head via the jet passage of the nozzle; and discharging a jet of abrasive fluid from the cutting head to treat the workpiece or work surface.

The method may further include adjusting an alignment of the orifice mount relative to the fluidic channel of the nozzle prior to supplying the fluid flow such that the orifice and the fluidic channel are axially aligned with an offset deviation of less than 0.001 inches.

Mixing the abrasive with the fluid jet can include mixing abrasive particles having a maximum particle diameter of one third of the diameter of the jet channel with the fluid jet. Mixing the abrasive with the fluid jet may comprise continuously supplying abrasive particles to the mixing chamber during the entire discharge of the abrasive fluid jet. Discharging the jet of abrasive fluid from the cutting head to treat the workpiece or the work surface may comprise intermittently discharging the jet of abrasive fluid from the cutting head, and the method may further comprise: the abrasive is continuously fed to the mixing chamber without interruption during the entire intermittent discharge of the abrasive fluid jet. Mixing the abrasive with the fluid jet can include continuously supplying abrasive particles to the mixing chamber at a rate of about or less than or equal to 0.5 pounds per minute throughout the discharge of the abrasive fluid jet.

Supplying a fluid flow to the orifice of the orifice mount may include supplying the fluid flow at an operating pressure of at least 60,000psi, at least 70,000psi, at least 80,000psi, at least 90,000psi, at least 100,000psi, or at least 110,000 psi.

The method may further comprise: supplying a flow of fluid through an orifice of an orifice mount at an alignment pressure level to produce a low pressure fluid jet; observing the alignment of the low pressure fluid jet with the jet channel; and adjusting the position of the orifice mount based on the observation until the orifice is aligned with the fluidic channel.

Mixing the abrasive with the fluid jet within the mixing chamber may include introducing the abrasive into the mixing chamber at a first location and removing the abrasive from the mixing chamber at a second location that is upstream of the first location relative to a flow path of the fluid jet through the mixing chamber during operation.

According to another embodiment, a fluid jet cutting head may be summarized as including: a nozzle body having an orifice mount receiving cavity; an orifice mount received within an orifice mount receiving cavity of the nozzle body, the orifice mount including an orifice unit having an orifice for generating a fluid jet during operation; a fluid delivery body having a fluid delivery conduit to supply a flow of fluid through an orifice of an orifice mount to generate a jet of fluid during operation; a nozzle having a fluidic channel from which a fluid jet from a fluid jet cutting head is discharged; and a plurality of orifice mount adjusters configured to adjust a position of the orifice mount in a plane transverse to an axis defined by the orifice to align a fluid jet generated at the orifice with a jet passage of the nozzle.

The plurality of orifice mount adjusters can include a plurality of set screws coupled to the nozzle body and operable to displace the orifice mount in a plane transverse to an axis of the orifice. The orifice mount adjuster may also include a plurality of dowel pins axially displaceable by a plurality of set screws to engage and displace the orifice mount.

The fluid jet cutting system can further comprise: a mixing chamber insert comprising a mixing chamber through which the fluid jet flows during operation, an abrasive inlet conduit through which the abrasive flow passes to the mixing chamber during operation, and an abrasive outlet conduit through which the abrasive flows out of the mixing chamber during operation. The mixing chamber insert may further comprise an abrasive inlet port coupling the abrasive inlet conduit to the mixing chamber and an abrasive outlet port coupling the abrasive outlet conduit to the mixing chamber, the abrasive outlet port being located upstream of the abrasive inlet port relative to a flow path of the fluid jet through the mixing chamber during operation.

According to one exemplary embodiment, a method of operating a fluid jet cutting head may be summarized as including: positioning an orifice mount within a nozzle body of a fluid jet cutting head, the orifice mount including an orifice unit having an orifice for generating a fluid jet during operation; supplying a flow of fluid through an orifice of an orifice mount at an alignment pressure level to produce a low pressure fluid jet; observing alignment of the low pressure fluid jet with a jet passage of a nozzle of a fluid jet cutting head; and adjusting the position of the orifice mount based on the observation until the orifice is aligned with the fluidic channel of the nozzle.

The method may further comprise: after adjusting the position of the orifice mount, a fluid stream at an operating pressure, higher than the alignment pressure level, is supplied to the orifice of the orifice mount to produce a high pressure fluid jet for treating the workpiece or work surface. The method may further comprise: the orifice carrier is urged into sealing engagement with a fluid delivery body having a fluid delivery conduit for supplying fluid to the orifice carrier prior to supplying a flow of fluid at an alignment pressure level through the orifice of the orifice carrier. Urging the orifice mount into sealing engagement with the fluid transport body may include compressing the sealing member to a first extent, and the method may further include: the orifice mount is further urged into sealing engagement with the fluid delivery body to compress the sealing member to a second extent, higher than the first extent, prior to supplying a flow of fluid at an operating pressure through the orifice of the orifice mount to generate a high pressure fluid jet for treating the workpiece or working surface.

Adjusting the position of the orifice mount may include adjusting at least one of a plurality of set screws coupled to the nozzle body and operable to displace the orifice mount in a plane transverse to an axis of the orifice. Adjusting at least one of the plurality of set screws may include advancing at least one of the set screws to axially move one of the plurality of respective dowel pins to engage and displace the orifice mount.

The method may further comprise: after adjusting the position of the orifice mount, a low pressure fluid jet is used to confirm the desired alignment of the orifice mount with the jet channel of the nozzle of the fluid jet cutting head. The method may further comprise: after adjusting the position of the orifice mount and confirming the desired alignment of the orifice mount, the orifice mount is securely fixed in place by manipulating the nozzle body relative to a fluid delivery body having a fluid delivery conduit for supplying fluid to the orifice mount. When the nozzle body is manipulated relative to the fluid delivery body, a secure fixing of the orifice mount in place without applying torque to the orifice mount may be achieved. Manipulating the nozzle body relative to the fluid delivery body may include twisting the nozzle body relative to the fluid delivery body. Adjusting the position of the orifice mount until the orifice is aligned with the fluidic channel of the nozzle may include moving the orifice mount until the orifice and the fluidic channel are axially aligned with an offset deviation of less than 0.001 inches.

According to another embodiment, a nozzle body of a fluid jet cutting head may be summarized as including: an orifice carrier receiving chamber sized and shaped to receive an orifice carrier having an orifice unit with an orifice for generating a fluid jet when high pressure fluid passes therethrough during operation; a mixing chamber positioned adjacent to the orifice mount receiving cavity; an abrasive entry passage extending from an exterior of the nozzle body to the mixing chamber for supplying abrasive to mix with a fluid jet produced by the orifice during operation, the abrasive entry passage defining an abrasive entry direction; and an abrasive exit passage extending from an exterior of the nozzle body to the mixing chamber for drawing off abrasive that is not mixed with the fluid jet, the abrasive exit passage defining an abrasive exit direction, and wherein a spread angle defined by the abrasive entry direction and the abrasive exit direction projected onto a reference plane perpendicular to an axis defined by the fluid jet is between 30 degrees and 150 degrees.

In some cases, the spread angle may be between 45 degrees and 135 degrees, between 60 degrees and 120 degrees, or about 90 degrees. The abrasive entry direction defined by the abrasive entry passage and the abrasive exit direction defined by the abrasive exit passage may each be perpendicular to an axis defined by the fluid jet. The fluid jet cutting head may include a nozzle body, and may further include: a source of abrasive material coupled to the abrasive inlet passage for supplying abrasive to be mixed with the fluid jet; and a vacuum source coupled to the abrasive exit channel to assist in drawing the abrasive into the mixing chamber and for drawing off abrasive that is not mixed with the fluid jet.

The fluid jet cutting head may include a nozzle body, and may further include: an orifice mount received within an orifice mount receiving cavity of the nozzle body; a fluid delivery body having a fluid delivery conduit to supply a flow of fluid through an orifice of an orifice mount to generate a jet of fluid during operation; and a nozzle having a fluidic channel from which a fluid jet from the fluid jet cutting head is discharged. The fluid jet cutting head can further include a plurality of orifice mount adjusters configured to adjust a position of the orifice mount in a plane transverse to an axis defined by the orifice to align a fluid jet produced by the orifice with the jet channel of the nozzle. The fluid jet cutting head may further comprise: a mixing chamber insert defining a mixing chamber and further comprising: an abrasive inlet passage extending from an exterior of the mixing chamber insert to the mixing chamber; an abrasive outlet passage extending from an exterior of the mixing chamber insert to the mixing chamber; and a jet passage extending from an exterior of the mixing chamber insert to the mixing chamber, and wherein the abrasive outlet passage intersects the mixing chamber at a withdrawal location upstream of an inlet location where the abrasive inlet passage intersects the mixing chamber relative to a flow path of the fluid jet through the jet passage and the mixing chamber.

According to yet another embodiment, a mixing chamber insert of a fluid jet cutting head may be summarized as including: a mixing chamber; an abrasive inlet passage extending from an exterior of the mixing chamber insert to the mixing chamber; an abrasive outlet passage extending from an exterior of the mixing chamber insert to the mixing chamber; and a jet passage extending from an exterior of the mixing chamber insert to the mixing chamber, and wherein the abrasive outlet passage intersects the mixing chamber at a withdrawal location upstream of an inlet location where the abrasive inlet passage intersects the mixing chamber relative to a flow path of the fluid jet through the jet passage and the mixing chamber.

The abrasive inlet passage may define an abrasive inlet direction, the abrasive outlet passage may define an abrasive outlet direction, and an angle of divergence, defined by the abrasive inlet direction and the abrasive outlet direction, projected onto a reference plane perpendicular to an axis defined by the jet passage is between 30 degrees and 150 degrees. The fluid jet cutting head may include a mixing chamber insert, and may further include: a nozzle body within which the mixing chamber insert is received; an abrasive feed line coupled to the nozzle body and having an abrasive entry passage for supplying abrasive to the mixing chamber insert; and an abrasive suction line coupled to the nozzle body and having an abrasive exit passage for assisting in drawing abrasive into the mixing chamber insert and drawing abrasive that is not mixed with the fluid jet out of the mixing chamber insert during operation, and wherein a cross-sectional area of the abrasive entry passage is less than a cross-sectional area of the abrasive exit passage.

The fluid jet cutting head may include a mixing chamber insert, and may further include: a nozzle body having an orifice mount receiving cavity; an orifice mount received within an orifice mount receiving cavity of the nozzle body, the orifice mount including an orifice unit having an orifice for generating a fluid jet during operation, the orifice having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.010 inches; and a nozzle having a fluidic channel from which a fluid jet from the fluid jet cutting head is discharged, the fluidic channel having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.015 inches.

The fluid jet cutting head may include a mixing chamber insert, and may further include: a nozzle body having an orifice mount receiving cavity; an orifice mount received within an orifice mount receiving cavity of the nozzle body, the orifice mount including an orifice unit having an orifice for generating a fluid jet during operation; a nozzle having a fluidic channel from which a fluid jet from a fluid jet cutting head is discharged; and a plurality of orifice mount adjusters configured to adjust a position of the orifice mount in a plane transverse to an axis defined by the orifice to align a fluid jet produced by the orifice with a jet passage of the nozzle.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary fluid jet cutting system including a multi-axis manipulator (e.g., gantry motion system) supporting a cutting head assembly at a working end of the cutting head assembly for cutting a workpiece, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary cutting head assembly that is particularly well suited for cutting brittle, fragile, or other sensitive workpieces, and that may be used with the system of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cutting head assembly of fig. 2 taken along line 3-3 in fig. 2.

Fig. 3A is an enlarged detail view of a portion of a cross-sectional view of the cutting head assembly of fig. 3.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cutting head assembly of FIG. 2 taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cutting head assembly of FIG. 2 taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the cutting head assembly of FIG. 2 with other components of the nozzle body and cutting head assembly removed to reveal additional details.

Detailed Description

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specific details. In other instances, well-known structures associated with fluid jet cutting systems and methods of operating the same may not have been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments. For example, known control systems and drive components may be integrated into a fluid jet cutting system to facilitate movement of a cutting head assembly relative to a workpiece or work surface to be processed. These systems may include drive components to manipulate the cutting head about multiple axes of rotation and translational axes, as is common in multi-axis manipulators for fluid jet cutting systems. An exemplary fluid jet cutting system can include a cutting head assembly coupled to a gantry-type motion system, as shown in fig. 1, a robotic arm motion system, or other motion system for moving the cutting head relative to the workpiece. In other cases, a robotic arm motion system or other motion system may manipulate the workpiece relative to the cutting head.

Throughout the specification and the appended claims, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be construed in an open, inclusive sense, i.e., "including but not limited to".

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be noted that the term "or" is generally employed in its sense including "and/or" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

While some aspects discussed herein may be discussed in terms of water jets and abrasive water jets, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that aspects and techniques of the present invention may be applied to other types of fluid jets produced by high or low pressures, whether or not additives or abrasives are used.

As used herein, the term cutting head or cutting head assembly may generally refer to an assembly of components at a working end of a fluid jet machine or system, and may include, for example, an orifice unit (e.g., a jewel orifice unit) through which a fluid (e.g., water) passes during operation to produce a jet of pressurized fluid (e.g., a water jet), a nozzle component for discharging the jet of pressurized fluid, and surrounding structures and devices coupled directly or indirectly thereto for movement in unison therewith. The cutting head may also be referred to as an end effector.

The fluid jet cutting system can be operated in proximity to a support structure configured to support a workpiece to be processed by the system. The support structure may be a rigid structure or a reconfigurable structure adapted to support one or more workpieces in a position to be cut, trimmed or otherwise processed.

Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a water jet cutting system 10. The water jet cutting system 10 includes a collection box assembly 11 having a workpiece support surface 13 (e.g., a lathing arrangement) configured to support a workpiece 14 to be machined by the system 10. The water jet cutting system 10 also includes a bridge assembly 15 that is movable along a pair of base rails 16 and across the collection tank assembly 11. In operation, bridge assembly 15 is movable back and forth along base rail 16 relative to translation axis X to position cutting head assembly 12 of system 10 for machining work piece 14. The tool carriage 17 is movably coupled to the bridge assembly 15 for translation back and forth along another translation axis Y perpendicular to the aforementioned translation axis X. Tool carriage 17 may be configured to raise and lower cutting head assembly 12 along another translation axis Z to move cutting head assembly 12 toward and away from workpiece 14. One or more manipulable links or members may also be provided intermediate cutting head assembly 12 and tool carriage 17 to provide additional functionality.

As one example, waterjet cutting system 10 may include a forearm 18 rotatably coupled to tool carriage 17 for rotating cutting head assembly 12 about an axis of rotation, and a wrist 19 rotatably coupled to forearm 18 for rotating cutting head assembly 12 about another axis of rotation that is not parallel to the aforementioned axis of rotation. The combination of the rotational axes of forearm 18 and wrist 19 may enable cutting head assembly 12 to be manipulated in a wide range of orientations relative to workpiece 14 to facilitate, for example, cutting complex contours. The axes of rotation may converge at a focal point, which in some embodiments may be offset from an end or tip of a nozzle component of cutting head assembly 12.

During operation, movement of cutting head assembly 12 relative to each translational axis and one or more rotational axes may be accomplished by various conventional drive components and appropriate control systems 20. The control system may generally include, but is not limited to, one or more computing devices, such as processors, microprocessors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), and the like. To store information, the control system may also include one or more storage devices, such as volatile memory, non-volatile memory, read-only memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), and so forth. The storage device may be coupled to the computing device by one or more buses. The control system may also include one or more input devices (e.g., a display, a keyboard, a touchpad, a controller module, or any other peripheral device for user input) and output devices (e.g., a display screen, a light indicator, etc.). The control system may store one or more programs for processing any number of different workpieces according to various cutting head movement instructions. The control system may also control the operation of other components, such as a secondary fluid source, a vacuum device, and/or a pressurized gas source coupled to the waterjet cutting head assembly and components described herein. According to one embodiment, the control system may be provided in the form of a general purpose computer system. The computer system may include components such as a CPU, various I/O components, storage devices, and memory. The I/O components may include a display, network connections, computer-readable media drives, and other I/O devices (keyboard, mouse, speakers, etc.). The control system manager program may execute in memory, e.g., under the control of a CPU, and may include functionality relating to: the methods and systems described herein may be used to direct pressurized water through the waterjet cutting systems described herein, provide a secondary fluid flow to adjust or modify the consistency of the discharged fluid jet, and/or provide a pressurized gas flow to provide unobstructed waterjet cutting of a workpiece.

Further exemplary control methods and systems for water jet cutting systems are described in us patent 6,766,216, which include, for example, CNC functions, and are applicable to the fluid jet cutting systems described herein. Generally, a Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) process may be used to efficiently drive or control a cutting head along a specified path, for example by enabling a two-dimensional or three-dimensional model of a workpiece generated using computer aided design (i.e. a CAD model) to be used to generate code that drives the machine. For example, in some cases, a CAD model may be used to generate instructions to drive appropriate controllers and motors of a fluid jet cutting system to manipulate a cutting head about various translational and/or rotational axes to cut or machine a workpiece as reflected in the CAD model. However, the details of the control system, conventional drive components, and other well-known systems associated with the fluid jet cutting system have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments. Other known systems associated with fluid jet cutting systems include, for example, pressurized fluid sources (e.g., direct drive pumps and booster pumps having a pressure rating of at least 60,000psi, at least 90,000psi, or at least 110,000 psi) for supplying pressurized fluid to the cutting head.

According to some embodiments, the water jet cutting system 10 includes a pump, such as a direct drive pump or a booster pump, to selectively provide a source of pressurized water at an operating pressure of at least 60,000psi, at least 90,000psi, or at least 110,000 psi. Cutting head assembly 12 of water jet cutting system 10 is configured to receive high pressure water supplied by a pump and generate a high pressure water jet for machining a workpiece. A fluid distribution system is provided in fluid communication with pump and cutting head assembly 12 to assist in directing pressurized water from the pump to cutting head assembly 12.

Fig. 2-6 illustrate a cutting head assembly 100 of a waterjet cutting system that is particularly suited for cutting relatively brittle, or other sensitive materials. As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting head assembly 100 includes a fluid delivery body 102, such as a high or ultra-high pressure fluid delivery body 102. The fluid delivery body 102 may have a fluid delivery conduit 142, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, which may supply pressurized water (or other pressurized fluid) to an orifice 143 (fig. 3A) to generate a fluid jet to be discharged through the cutting head assembly 100 to cut or otherwise treat a workpiece or work surface. For example, the fluid delivery body 102 may receive pressurized water from a pressurized water source, such as a high or ultra-high pressure fluid source (e.g., a direct drive pump or booster pump having a pressure rating of at least 60,000psi, at least 90,000psi, or at least 110,000 psi).

For purposes of this disclosure, the fluid delivery body 102 may represent an upper end of the cutting head assembly 100, with the remaining components of the cutting head assembly 100 positioned at or below the fluid delivery body 102. The cutting head assembly 100 also includes a nozzle body 104 that can house additional components of the cutting head assembly 100 to which other components of the cutting head assembly 100 can be coupled and through which pressurized water and abrasive can travel and mix, as described in further detail elsewhere herein.

Fig. 2 also shows that the cutting head assembly 100 includes an abrasive feed line 106 having an abrasive entry passage 108 extending longitudinally and coaxially therethrough, and which may define an abrasive entry direction into the nozzle body 104. In use, abrasive particles may be fed into the nozzle body 104 to be mixed into a water jet through the abrasive inlet channel 108. For example, abrasive particles may be fed into the nozzle body 104 from an abrasive source (e.g., an abrasive hopper and distribution system). The exemplary cutting head assembly 100 also includes a suction line 110 having an exit passage 112 extending longitudinally and coaxially therethrough, which may define an abrasive exit direction from the nozzle body 104. In use, excess or unspent abrasive particles that are not mixed into the waterjet can be removed from the nozzle body 104 through the exit passage 112. In use, a vacuum may be applied to the exit passage 112, for example by a vacuum device, to help draw abrasive particles from the abrasive source into the nozzle body 104 via the abrasive entry passage 108 to promote mixing of the abrasive particles into the water jet. In some embodiments, the average cross-sectional area of the abrasive entrance passage 108 may be smaller than the average cross-sectional area of the exit passage 112 to aid in the efficient removal of excess or unused abrasive from the nozzle body 104. Abrasive particles may also be efficiently removed from the nozzle body 104 during abrasive flow but without the water jet being discharged from the cutting head 100.

Fig. 2 shows that the abrasive feed line 106 and the suction line 110 are each disposed at an angle β, γ that is perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis 128 of the cutting head assembly 100 and perpendicular to the general direction along which water generally flows through the cutting head assembly 100. Accordingly, the abrasive entrance and exit

passages

108, 112 are also arranged to approach and meet the nozzle body 104 generally at a right angle to the central longitudinal axis 128 and the general direction along which water flows generally through the cutting head assembly 100. In other embodiments, abrasive supply line 106 and suction line 110 may each be disposed at an angle β, γ, which are oblique and may be the same or different from each other.

Fig. 2 also shows that abrasive supply line 106 and suction line 110 are arranged at an angle of divergence θ of about 90 degrees relative to each other (as measured about central longitudinal axis 128) such that abrasive entering channel 108 and exiting channel 112 are also arranged and approach and merge with respective ports of nozzle body 104 at about right angles relative to each other (as measured about central longitudinal axis 128). In other embodiments, abrasive entry and exit

passages

108 and 112, which may define abrasive entry and exit directions, respectively, may be arranged at any suitable spread angle relative to each other and meeting the corresponding ports of nozzle body 104, such as, for example, about 150 °, about 135 °, about 120 °, about 60 °, about 45 °, about 30 °, or between about 150 ° and about 30 °, or between about 135 ° and about 45 °, or between about 120 ° and about 60 °. Where the abrasive entrance and exit

channels

108, 112 enter the nozzle body 104 at an oblique angle, the spread angle θ may be determined by projecting the entrance and exit directions onto a reference plane perpendicular to the axis 128. Such embodiments having the aforementioned spread angle θ may be advantageous because they may result in the abrasive following a less direct (i.e., more circuitous or convoluted) flow path through the cutting head assembly 100 and the mixing chamber 146, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, which may increase or improve the residence time of the abrasive within the cutting head assembly 100 and the mixing chamber 146, and may increase or improve the mixing or entrainment of the abrasive into the water jet, and reduce the amount of wasted or unused abrasive.

Fig. 2 also shows that the cutting head assembly 100 includes an abrasive inlet flushing conduit 114 having an abrasive inlet flushing conduit 116 extending longitudinally and coaxially therethrough. In use, water or another fluid may be fed into the abrasive entry passage 108 through the abrasive entry flushing conduit 116 to flush out any waste abrasive or any other accumulated residue that may have become caught or otherwise accumulated within the abrasive entry passage 108, as can be readily appreciated from the view of fig. 3. The cutting head assembly 100 also includes an abrasive exit rinse conduit 118 having an abrasive exit rinse conduit 120 extending longitudinally and coaxially therethrough. In use, water or other fluid may be fed into the exit passage 112 through the abrasive exit rinse conduit 120 to rinse any waste abrasive or any other accumulated residue that may have become stuck or otherwise accumulated within the exit passage 112, as can be readily appreciated from the view of fig. 4.

Fig. 2 shows that the abrasive entry and exit rinse

ducts

114 and 118 are each disposed at less than a right angle (e.g., at 30 °, 45 °, 60 °, or between 30 ° and 60 °) to the central longitudinal axis 128 and such that the abrasive entry and exit rinse

ducts

114 and 118 approach the nozzle body 104 above the abrasive entry and

exit ducts

106 and 110. Accordingly, the abrasive entry and exit rinse

conduits

116, 120 are also arranged to approach and meet the nozzle body 104 at less than a right angle (e.g., at 30 °, 45 °, 60 °, or between 30 ° and 60 °) to the central longitudinal axis 128 and above the abrasive entry and exit

conduits

108 and 112.

Fig. 2 also shows that abrasive entry and

exit flushing conduits

114 and 118 are disposed directly above abrasive entry and exit

conduits

106, 110, respectively. Thus, the abrasive entering and exiting

flush conduits

114 and 118 are arranged at about right angles relative to each other, as measured about the central longitudinal axis 128, such that the abrasive entering and exiting

flush conduits

116 and 120 are also arranged at about right angles relative to each other, as measured about the central longitudinal axis 128, proximate to and meeting the corresponding ports of the nozzle body 104.

FIG. 2 also shows that cutting head assembly 100 includes a first alignment screw 122A and a second alignment screw 122B (collectively alignment screws 122). The alignment screws 122 are discussed in further detail elsewhere with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 2 also shows that the cutting head assembly 100 includes a nozzle 124 (also referred to as a mixing tube in the case of abrasive water jet cutting) from which the water jet or abrasive water jet can exit the cutting head assembly 100 at high velocity, and a shield 126 surrounding the nozzle 124 that can protect other components of the cutting head assembly 100 from water and abrasive material being ejected back toward the cutting head assembly 100 after colliding with the workpiece or work surface. For purposes of this disclosure, nozzle 124 may represent a bottom end portion of cutting head assembly 100, with the remaining components of cutting head assembly 100 positioned at or above nozzle 124. The nozzle 124 will be discussed in further detail elsewhere with reference to fig. 6.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the cutting head assembly 100 taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2, thereby illustrating the arrangement of the internal components of the cutting head assembly 100, such as the abrasive feed line 106 and the abrasive entry flush conduit 114. FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the cutting head assembly 100 taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 2, thereby illustrating the arrangement of the internal components of the cutting head assembly 100, such as the suction line 110 and the abrasive exiting the irrigation conduit 118. Fig. 3A is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the cross-sectional view of fig. 3, showing an orifice unit 139 (e.g., a jewel orifice unit) including an orifice 143 for generating a high-pressure fluid jet, the orifice being carried by an orifice mount 138. Although fig. 3A shows the orifice unit 139 as a separate, distinct component carried by the orifice mount 138, it should be understood that in some cases the orifice 143 for generating the high pressure fluid jet may be integrally formed in the orifice mount 138.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, cutting head assembly 100 includes an orifice mount 138 positioned within an orifice mount receiving cavity of nozzle body 104, on or within which an orifice unit 139, such as a sapphire, or diamond orifice unit, may be carried or supported. The orifice mount 138 may be positioned directly below and in sealing contact with the fluid delivery body 102. The cutting head assembly 100 also includes a mixing chamber insert 140 that may be positioned directly below and in contact with the orifice mount 138, and that may be positioned directly above and in contact with the nozzle 124.

As also shown in fig. 3 and 4, the fluid delivery body 102 may include a fluid delivery conduit 142 extending longitudinally and coaxially therethrough, the orifice mount 138 may include an orifice conduit 144 extending longitudinally and coaxially therethrough, the mixing chamber insert 140 may include a mixing chamber 146 extending longitudinally and coaxially therethrough, and the nozzle 124 may include a fluidic channel 148 extending longitudinally and coaxially therethrough. The fluid delivery body 102, its fluid delivery conduit 142, the orifice mount 138, its orifice 143 (fig. 3A) and orifice conduit 144, the mixing chamber insert 140, its mixing chamber 146, the nozzle 124, and its jet passage 148 may have respective generally cylindrical profiles that are coaxially arranged with each other and along the axis 128. Accordingly, high pressure water supplied via the fluid delivery body 102 may pass through the orifice 143 of the orifice unit 139 carried by the orifice mount 138 to produce a high pressure water jet that passes through the orifice conduit 144 of the orifice mount 138, through the mixing chamber insert 140 (where abrasive may be introduced into the jet), through the nozzle 124, and out of the cutting head assembly 100 to cut or otherwise treat a workpiece or work surface.

Fig. 3 and 4 also show that the mixing chamber insert 140 includes an abrasive inlet conduit 154 (see fig. 3) fluidly coupled to the mixing chamber 146 at an abrasive inlet port 150 and an abrasive outlet conduit 156 (see fig. 4) fluidly coupled to the mixing chamber 146 at an abrasive outlet port 152. As shown in fig. 3 and 4, abrasive inlet port 150 is located below abrasive outlet port 152. In some cases, positioning the abrasive outlet port 152 above the abrasive inlet port 150 can help reduce or prevent abrasive particles from entering the orifice conduit 144 or becoming lodged therein. Furthermore, positioning abrasive outlet port 152 vertically offset from abrasive inlet port 150 may create a relatively more circuitous or convoluted path to help increase the residence time of abrasive particles in mixing chamber 146, which may result in more efficient and consistent entrainment of abrasive particles in the water jet.

In some cases, the abrasive outlet port 152 may be in fluid communication with the suction channel 112 having an average cross-sectional area that is greater than, e.g., greater than about 10%, 20%, 30%, or more, than an average cross-sectional area of the abrasive supply channel 108 in fluid communication with the abrasive inlet port 150, which may improve the ability of the cutting head assembly 100 to remove excess or unspent abrasive particles from the mixing chamber 146.

Furthermore, abrasive inlet port 150 and abrasive outlet port 152 may be positioned at an angle of divergence relative to each other, measured about central longitudinal axis 128, to correspond to the arrangement of abrasive supply line 106 and suction line 110.

As shown in fig. 3, abrasive supply line 106 is coupled to an abrasive inlet port 130 formed on a side of nozzle body 104, and abrasive inlet flushing conduit 114 is coupled to a flushing port 132 formed on a side of nozzle body 104. In particular, abrasive supply line 106 is coupled to abrasive inlet port 130 to allow fluid to flow from conduit 108 into nozzle body 104 and mixing chamber 146 through abrasive inlet conduit 154 and abrasive inlet port 150, and abrasive inlet flushing conduit 116 is fluidly coupled to the inlet of spring-loaded ball check valve 136 at flushing port 132 such that abrasive inlet conduit 154 and surrounding area are selectively flushed during operation.

As shown in fig. 4, the suction line 110 is coupled to a suction port 158 formed on one side of the nozzle body 104, and the abrasive exiting the rinse conduit 118 is coupled to a rinse port 160 formed on one side of the nozzle body 104. In particular, the suction line 110 is coupled to the suction port 158 to allow fluid to flow from the nozzle body 104 and the mixing chamber 146 through the abrasive outlet port 152 and the abrasive outlet conduit 156 into the exit passage 112, and the abrasive exit flush conduit 120 is fluidly coupled to the inlet of the spring-loaded ball check valve 162 at the flush port 160 such that the abrasive outlet conduit 156 and surrounding area are selectively flushed during operation.

Accordingly, abrasive particles may be fed into the cutting head assembly 100 through the abrasive feed line 106, through the inlet conduit 154 and the inlet port 150, and into the mixing chamber 146, where a portion of the abrasive particles may be mixed and entrained into the waterjet as it passes through the mixing chamber 146 to form a waterjet of abrasive. The remaining portion of the abrasive particles not entrained in the waterjet may be removed from the cutting head assembly 100, for example, from the mixing chamber 146 through the outlet port 152 and outlet conduit 156, and through the suction line 110 under the suction effect created by the vacuum applied to the suction line 110. Further, in accordance with one or more embodiments, abrasive particles may be continuously fed into the cutting head assembly 100 through the abrasive feed line 106, including during periods when the jet is not being discharged from the cutting head assembly 100, such as may occur during intermittent cutting activities. In this manner, the jet can be cyclically opened and closed without interrupting the supply of abrasive to the cutting head assembly 100.

Referring to fig. 3, abrasive supply line 106 includes an upstream flushing conduit 134 that extends radially outward from abrasive inlet passage 108 to an outer surface of abrasive supply line 106. The upstream flush conduit 134 is also fluidly coupled to the flush port 132 through an outlet of a check valve 136. Thus, by supplying water or another fluid to the abrasive entry flush conduit 116 at sufficient pressure to open the check valve 136 so that the water or other fluid can enter the abrasive entry passage 108 and remove debris from within the abrasive entry passage 108, the upstream flush conduit 134 can be used to flush abrasive accumulated within the cutting head assembly 100 over time in a position upstream of the mixing chamber 146 relative to the flow path of abrasive through the cutting head assembly 100.

Referring to fig. 4, the aspiration line 110 includes a downstream irrigation conduit 164 that extends radially outward from the abrasive exit passage 112 to an outer surface of the aspiration line 110. The downstream flush conduit 164 is also fluidly coupled to the flush port 160 through an outlet of the check valve 162. Thus, by supplying water or another fluid to the abrasive exit flush conduit 120 at sufficient pressure to open the check valve 162 so that the water or other fluid can enter the abrasive exit passageway 112 and remove debris from within the abrasive exit passageway 112, the downstream flush conduit 164 can be used to flush abrasive that has accumulated within the cutting head assembly 100 over time in a location downstream of the mixing chamber 146 relative to the flow path of the abrasive through the cutting head assembly 100.

Fig. 3 and 4 also show that the cutting head assembly 100 includes a plurality of seals at the interfaces between the various components of the cutting head assembly 100. For example, the cutting head assembly 100 includes a face seal 166, which may be an O-ring seal, that extends circumferentially about the axis 128 and the path of water through the cutting head assembly 100 and seals the interface between the fluid delivery body 102 and the orifice mount 138 to prevent or reduce the escape of high pressure water from the supply conduit 142 between the fluid delivery body 102 and the orifice mount 138.

FIG. 3 also shows that the nozzle body 104 may include a pressure relief conduit 190 that is open to the ambient to prevent pressure from building up within the nozzle body 104 around the orifice mount 138. Fig. 3 and 4 illustrate the face seal 166 seated primarily within a groove in the bottom surface of the fluid conveying body 102, but in other embodiments, the face seal 166 may be seated primarily within a groove in the upper surface of the orifice mount 138, or may be seated within a groove in the bottom surface of the fluid conveying body 102 and a groove in the upper surface of the orifice mount 138.

In addition, referring to fig. 3 and 4, the exemplary cutting head assembly 100 also includes a collet 170 and an actuator 172. The actuator 172 is threadably engaged with the nozzle body 104 such that the actuator 172 can be rotated about the axis 128 and threaded into the nozzle body 104, thereby pushing the collet 170 upward along the axis 128 and through a reduced diameter (e.g., tapered) opening in the nozzle body 104 toward the mixing chamber insert 140. As the collet 170 moves upward, it is squeezed between the inner surface of the nozzle body 104 and the outer surface of the nozzle 124 and thus clamps the nozzle 124, securing the nozzle 124 within the nozzle body 104, and positioning the upper surface of the nozzle 124 against the lower surface of the mixing chamber insert 140.

The cutting head assembly 100 also includes a seal 168 that seats within a groove formed in an interior surface of the actuator 172 such that the seal 168 and the groove in which it seats extend circumferentially about the axis 128 and the path of water through the cutting head assembly 100, and such that the seal 168 seals the interface between the nozzle 124 and the actuator 172.

Further, referring to fig. 3, cutting head assembly 100 includes a seal 174 that extends circumferentially around the abrasive flow path at the abrasive flow path transition between abrasive entry passage 108 and abrasive inlet conduit 154 of mixing chamber insert 140 and seals the interface between abrasive feed line 106 and mixing chamber insert 140 to prevent abrasive or other material passing through abrasive feed line 106 from escaping between abrasive feed line 106 and mixing chamber insert 140. Similarly, referring to fig. 4, the cutting head assembly 100 includes a seal 176 that extends circumferentially around the abrasive flow path at the abrasive flow path transition between the abrasive outlet conduit 154 of the mixing chamber insert 140 and the suction line 110, and seals the interface between the suction line 110 and the mixing chamber insert 140 to prevent abrasive or other material passing through the suction line 110 from escaping between the suction line 110 and the mixing chamber insert 140.

Seals

168, 174, and 176 may allow for more efficient evacuation within mixing chamber 146.

Further, referring to fig. 3, cutting head assembly 100 includes a seal 178 that extends circumferentially around the abrasive flow path just upstream of upstream flushing conduit 134 relative to the abrasive flow path and seals the interface between abrasive supply line 106 and nozzle body 104 to prevent abrasive, water, or other material from escaping between abrasive supply line 106 and nozzle body 104, and in particular to prevent water flowing from abrasive entry flushing conduit 116 to abrasive entry passage 108 from escaping. The cutting head assembly 100 also includes a seal 180 that extends circumferentially around the abrasive flow path just downstream of the upstream rinse conduit 134 relative to the abrasive flow path and seals the interface between the abrasive supply line 106 and the nozzle body 104 to prevent abrasive, water, or other material from escaping between the abrasive supply line 106 and the nozzle body 104, and in particular to prevent water flowing from the abrasive entry rinse conduit 116 to the abrasive entry passage 108 from escaping.

Similarly, referring to fig. 4, the cutting head assembly 100 includes a seal 182 that extends circumferentially around the abrasive flow path just upstream of the downstream irrigation conduit 164 relative to the abrasive flow path and seals the interface between the suction line 110 and the nozzle body 104 to prevent abrasive, water or other material from escaping between the suction line 110 and the nozzle body 104, and in particular to prevent water flowing from the abrasive exiting the irrigation conduit 120 to the exit passage 112 from escaping. The cutting head assembly 100 also includes a seal 184 that extends circumferentially around the abrasive flow path just downstream of the downstream irrigation conduit 164 relative to the abrasive flow path and seals the interface between the suction line 110 and the nozzle body 104 to prevent abrasive, water or other material from escaping between the suction line 110 and the nozzle body 104, and in particular to prevent water flowing from the abrasive exiting the irrigation conduit 120 to the abrasive exiting passage 112.

FIG. 5 provides a cross-sectional view of cutting head assembly 100 taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 2. As shown in fig. 5, the jet body 104 includes three conduits 186a, 186b, and 186c (collectively conduits 186) extending radially inward from an outer surface of the jet body 104 to an inner surface of the jet body 104 adjacent the orifice mount 138. The conduits 186 are equally spaced circumferentially from one another about the orifice conduit 144, for example about 120 ° from one another relative to the axis 128. Fig. 5 also shows that the cutting head assembly 100 includes three

adjustment pins

188a, 188b, 188c (collectively adjustment pins 188), each having a generally cylindrical shape, positioned within an interior or central portion of the conduits 186a, 186b, and 186c, respectively, and in contact with the orifice mount 138.

First, second, and

third alignment screws

122a, 122b, and 122c (collectively alignment screws 122) are positioned within an outer or peripheral portion of conduits 186a, 186b, and 186c and are in contact with respective adjustment pins 188. The first alignment screw 122a and the first adjustment pin 188a may be collectively referred to as a first orifice mount adjuster, the second alignment screw 122b and the second adjustment pin 188b may be collectively referred to as a second orifice mount adjuster, and the third alignment screw 122c and the third adjustment pin 188c may be collectively referred to as a third orifice mount adjuster.

By threading alignment screws 122 into or out of respective conduits 186, an operator may use alignment screws 122 and pins 188 to finely adjust the position of orifice mount 138 and its orifice 143 within nozzle body 104, such as in a plane transverse or perpendicular to axis or axis 128 defined by orifice 143, for example to align a fluid jet produced by orifice 143 with jet passage 148 of nozzle 124. For example, an operator may use the screw 122 and pin 188 to adjust the position of the orifice mount 138 such that the orifice mount 138 is laterally aligned with both the mixing chamber insert 140 and the nozzle 124, and such that the orifice 143 is aligned with both the mixing chamber 146 and the jet passage 148, such that a water jet may pass through the orifice conduit 144, the mixing chamber 146, and the jet passage 148 without contacting or minimally contacting the mixing chamber insert 140 or the nozzle 124.

As described further below, in some embodiments, an operator may make such adjustments while testing the alignment of various components by providing relatively low pressure water (e.g., at 1,000psi) to the supply conduit 142, and once proper alignment of the components has been achieved, provide higher pressure water to the supply conduit 142 to begin cutting or otherwise processing the workpiece or work surface using the cutting head assembly 100. This technique may become increasingly important in embodiments where the inner diameter of the jet passage 148 of the nozzle 124 is close to the diameter of the abrasive water jet passing through the nozzle 124.

Fig. 6 provides an enlarged isometric view of a portion of the cutting head assembly 100 with the nozzle body 104, abrasive supply line 106, abrasive suction line 110, abrasive entry flushing conduit 114, abrasive exit flushing conduit 118, and other components removed to more clearly illustrate other features of the cutting head assembly 100.

For example, orifice mount 138 is shown having adjustment means (e.g., screws 122a-122c and pins 188a-188c) positioned about a circumferential profile of orifice mount 138 to enable fine adjustment of the axial position of orifice 143 of orifice unit 139 carried thereby relative to jet passage 148 of nozzle 124. In some cases, the adjustment device may be configured to enable the aperture 143 to be axially aligned with an offset deviation of less than 0.0010 inches, or less than or equal to 0.0005 inches, relative to the fluidic channel 148 of the nozzle 124. Precise axial alignment of the apertures 143 with the jet channels 148 can help reduce jet hydrodynamic loads on the material being cut by avoiding or minimizing offsets at the jet/material interface, which in turn can reduce, minimize or eliminate surface and subsurface defects when cutting particularly sensitive materials.

As another example, the mixing chamber insert 140 is shown with one exposed bearing surface at the end of the abrasive inlet conduit 154 for coupling the abrasive feed line 106 to the mixing chamber insert 140 for supplying abrasive thereto during operation, and another exposed bearing surface at the end of the abrasive outlet conduit 156 for coupling the suction line 110 to the mixing chamber insert 140 to assist in drawing abrasive into the mixing chamber insert 140 and extracting unused abrasive during operation.

Fig. 6 also shows that the distal end of nozzle 124 may taper at an angle α to axis 128, where α may be greater than 5 °, 10 °, 15 °, 20 °, 25 °, or 30 °, and/or where α may be less than 35 °, 30 °, 25 °, 20 °, 15 °, 10 °, or 5 °.

As will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art of fluid jet cutting, various methods of operating a fluid jet cutting system may be provided in conjunction with the various systems and components disclosed herein.

For example, a method of operating the cutting head assembly 100 to cut a workpiece or series of workpieces may include supplying abrasive particles to the cutting head assembly 100 through the abrasive supply line 106, and drawing the abrasive particles through the cutting head assembly 100 by applying a vacuum to the abrasive suction line 110, including along an abrasive flow path through the mixing chamber insert 140, and out of the cutting head assembly 100 through the abrasive suction line 110. Such a method may include continuously supplying abrasive to the cutting head assembly 100 and drawing abrasive through the cutting head assembly during operation of the cutting head assembly 100 while the waterjet passes through the mixing chamber 146 and the waterjet does not pass through the mixing chamber 146, such that the waterjet may be cyclically opened and closed while abrasive particles continue to flow through the cutting head assembly 100.

Such a method may reduce the amount of time it takes to establish a suitable abrasive water jet and may improve the consistency of the abrasive water jet during multiple cutting operations. For example, such a method may reduce the time taken to make a cut in a workpiece by a few seconds, which may amount to substantial cost savings over time, particularly when cutting high volume and/or high throughput workpieces such as printed circuit boards.

The method of operating the cutting head assembly 100 to cut a workpiece or series of workpieces may also include selectively supplying water to the abrasive into the flush conduit 116 and abrasive out of the flush conduit 120 at a sufficient pressure to open the

check valves

136 and 162. Such a method may include flushing water into the

conduits

108 and 112 while drawing a vacuum on the abrasive exit passage 112 to clean and flush abrasive or other residue accumulated within the cutting head assembly 100 from the cutting head assembly 100 in the form of a slurry of abrasive and other residue. Such flushing may be performed periodically, such as at regular intervals, or when the cutting head assembly 100 is not producing a water jet to cut the workpiece. Such flushing via the abrasive outlet flush conduit 120 may be performed continuously even while the cutting head assembly 100 is generating a water jet and cutting a workpiece. Such a technique may improve the consistency of the abrasive flow through the cutting head assembly 100.

The method of operating the cutting head assembly 100 to cut a workpiece or series of workpieces may also include using an adjustment device (e.g., the screw 122 and the pin 188) to adjust the position and alignment of the orifice mount 138 within the nozzle body 104. For example, orifice mount 138 may be generally positioned within nozzle body 104, and nozzle body 104 may be relatively loosely coupled to fluid delivery body 102 such that orifice mount 138 may move within nozzle body 104, but interface seal 166 sufficiently firmly to form at least a low pressure seal between fluid delivery body 102 and orifice mount 138. Relatively low pressure water (e.g., at an alignment pressure of 1,000psi) may then be provided to the supply conduit 142 to create a relatively low pressure water jet to test the alignment of the orifice mount 138, mixing chamber insert 140, and nozzle 124. Alignment of the low pressure water jet with the jet passage 148 of the nozzle 124 can then be observed, and the position of the screw 122 can then be adjusted to push the pin 188 through the conduit 186, thereby adjusting the position of the orifice mount 138 as desired based on testing and observation.

Once proper alignment of the orifice mount 138 with the other components has been achieved and the desired alignment of the orifice mount 138 is confirmed (e.g., offset deviation between the axis of the orifice 143 and the axis of the fluidic channel 148 of the nozzle 124 of less than 0.001 inch), the nozzle body 104 may be more securely coupled to the fluid delivery body 102 (e.g., by further threading the nozzle body 104 onto the fluid delivery body 102) such that the orifice mount 138 is fixed and cannot move within the nozzle body 104 and such that the face seal 166 creates a high pressure seal between the fluid delivery body 102 and the orifice mount 138. A more secure coupling of the fluid delivery body 102 to the nozzle body 104 may be achieved by manipulating the nozzle body 104 relative to the fluid delivery body 102, such as by applying a torque to the nozzle body 104 to thread the nozzle body 104 onto the fluid delivery body 102. In other cases, fluid delivery body 102 and nozzle body 104 may be coupled together in a torqueless manner or in a manner that does not apply torque to orifice mount 138.

Such a method may be used to position the orifice 143 of the orifice mount 138 relative to the fluidic channel 148 of the nozzle 124 such that the orifice 143 and the fluidic channel 148 are axially aligned with an offset deviation of less than 0.0020 inches, less than 0.0015 inches, or less than 0.0010 inches. After orifice mount 138 has been properly positioned and aligned within nozzle body 104, such techniques may reduce or eliminate the extent to which such operations interfere with the positioning of orifice mount 138 within nozzle body 104. Also, the precise positioning of the orifice 143 of the orifice mount 138 relative to the jet channel 148 of the nozzle 124 can help reduce the jet hydrodynamic load on the material by avoiding a bias at the jet/material interface when cutting.

According to some embodiments, the abrasive water jet is generated at a relatively high pressure to maintain a suitable power level while utilizing a particularly small jet. For example, a water stream at a much higher pressure (e.g., an operating pressure of at least 90,000psi) may be provided to the supply conduit 142 to produce a high pressure water jet at the orifice 143 for cutting workpieces of particularly sensitive materials with a relatively small abrasive water jet.

For example, a method of operating the cutting head assembly 100 to cut a workpiece or series of workpieces can further include using a relatively small diameter nozzle 124 (e.g., a mixing tube having a jet passage with a circular cross-sectional profile having a diameter of less than or equal to 0.015 inch, 0.010 inch, 0.008 inch, or 0.006 inch) and a relatively small abrasive particle diameter to produce a relatively small diameter abrasive waterjet (e.g., a waterjet having a diameter of less than or equal to 0.015 inch, 0.010 inch, 0.008 inch, or 0.006 inch) to reduce an impact force applied to the workpiece by the abrasive waterjet. In addition, such a method may further include supplying relatively high pressure water (e.g., greater than 90,000psi) to the fluid delivery conduit 142 and using a relatively low water flow rate to the supply conduit 142 to further reduce the impact force applied to the workpiece by the abrasive water jet. Generally lower water flow rates, or lower water flow rates at the same power level relative to conventional cutting techniques, present a lower risk of delamination or chipping when cutting particularly fragile materials such as printed circuit boards.

Such a method may include using a nozzle 124 having a jet passage 148 with an inner diameter of about or less than 0.015 inch, about or less than 0.010 inch, about or less than 0.008 inch, about or less than 0.006 inch, using an orifice 143 with a circular cross-sectional profile having a diameter of about or less than 0.010 inch, about or less than 0.005 inch, about or less than 0.003 inch, about or less than 0.002 inch, or about or less than 0.001 inch, using abrasive particles having a diameter of about or less than one-third of the inner diameter of the jet passage 148 of the nozzle 124, or in the range of 220 mesh or finer, using abrasive particles at a rate of about or less than half an pound per minute, and supplying water to the supply conduit 142 at a pressure of about or more than 60,000psi, about or more than 70,000psi, about or more than 80,000psi, about or more than 90,000 psi. Cutting with relatively small apertures 143 and jet channels 148 and with increased pressure relative to conventional cutting techniques can provide suitable cutting power while reducing the jet load on the workpiece to enable cutting of sensitive materials at acceptable production rates with little or no significant damage, such as chipping and delamination.

In some embodiments, the ratio of the diameter of the jet channel 148 of the nozzle 124 to the diameter of the orifice 143 of the orifice unit 139 may be less than or equal to 3.0 and greater than or equal to 1.5. For example, in some embodiments, the method may include using a nozzle 124 having an inner diameter of the jet passage 148 that is about twice the diameter of the orifice 143 to increase the concentration of abrasive in the abrasive water jet and reduce the width of the kerf to be formed in the workpiece.

In embodiments where the cutting head assembly 100 is used to cut a slot in a workpiece, such a method may include using a nozzle 124 having an inner diameter of the fluidic channel 148 that corresponds to or approximates the width of the slot to be cut, such that the cutting head assembly 100 may cut the slot in one stroke without cutting each side of the slot in a different stroke of the cutting head assembly 100. For example, the inner diameter of the nozzle 124 may be within 10% of the width of the slot, e.g., 10% less than the width of the slot. Other features may be cut with correspondingly sized jets to increase cutting efficiency.

The method may also include generating a highly concentric abrasive water jet as discussed elsewhere to help reduce the jet hydrodynamic load on the material as it is cut by avoiding a bias at the jet/material interface.

The method may further include supplying abrasive to the mixing chamber 146 at a relatively high abrasive concentration compared to conventional cutting techniques. For example, in some cases, the method may include establishing a mass flow rate of the abrasive that is about 13%, 15%, 20%, or 25% or greater of the mass flow rate of the water through the mixing chamber 146.

The method may include cutting the workpiece at a stand-off distance of about or less than 2 mm. The method may also include using a stream of air to keep the area of the workpiece to be cut clean and free of water and debris from the cutting operation.

Such a method may further include initiating, or terminating a cut in the workpiece at a location in the workpiece where a hole or opening is to be subsequently located to reduce or prevent formation of a keyhole in the workpiece at the beginning or end of the cut, and may further include planning a cutting path and planning timing of the start and stop of the waterjet to prevent chipping of the workpiece at an end of the cutting path. In some cases, such holes or openings in the workpiece may be created by an abrasive water jet after creating a cut within the interior of the hole or opening to be formed.

In some embodiments, the cutting head assembly 100 may include a camera, and such methods may include using the camera to identify a reference fiducial on the workpiece, and using such identification to at least partially control a cutting path of the abrasive waterjet.

The methods disclosed herein may be used to cut printed circuit boards, glass sheets, or other fragile, brittle, or otherwise sensitive materials. In one embodiment, such a method may include using an orifice 143 having a diameter of 0.0030 ± 0.0005 inches, using a nozzle 124 having an inner diameter of 0.008 ± 0.001 inches or 0.010 ± 0.001 inches of a jet channel 148, using 320 mesh abrasive particles, and supplying water to the supply conduit 142 at a nominal operating pressure of about 90,000psi to produce an abrasive water jet characterized by a relatively low load to cut printed circuit boards or glass sheets with little to no significant damage (e.g., chipping, delamination). It has been found that this embodiment results in an impact force of about 0.9 pounds being applied to the workpiece when cutting at a 90 degree off angle (standoff angle). This is in contrast to conventional techniques that apply loads of three to four times the impact force.

In summary, features and aspects of various embodiments of the abrasive water jet systems, components, and related methods disclosed herein may facilitate cutting of brittle, or otherwise sensitive materials with relatively low-load abrasive water jets to minimize or substantially eliminate edge defects, such as chipping or delamination. Features and aspects of various embodiments of abrasive water jet systems, components, and related methods may also improve the efficiency of cutting operations as compared to existing machining techniques.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that features and aspects of the various embodiments described above may be combined to provide further embodiments. These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

U.S. patent application 15/990,375 entitled "ABRASIVE FLUID JET CUTTING system, COMPONENTS and related METHODS FOR CUTTING sensitive materials" filed 2018, 5, 25, and entitled "ABRASIVE FLUID JET CUTTING system, COMPONENTS and related METHODS FOR CUTTING sensitive materials" is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The claims (modification according to treaty clause 19)

1. A fluid jet cutting head comprising:

a nozzle body;

an orifice mount housed within the nozzle body, the orifice mount comprising an orifice unit having an orifice for generating a fluid jet during operation, the orifice having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.010 inches;

a fluid delivery body having a fluid delivery conduit to supply a high pressure fluid stream to the orifice of the orifice mount to generate a fluid jet during operation;

a mixing chamber disposed downstream of the orifice mount in a path of the fluid jet, the mixing chamber configured to receive an abrasive to mix with the fluid jet produced by the orifice of the orifice mount to form an abrasive fluid jet; and

a nozzle having a jet passage from which, during operation, the abrasive fluid jet from the fluid jet cutting head is discharged, the jet passage having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.015 inches.

2. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 1 wherein the orifice of the orifice mount and the jet channel of the nozzle are axially aligned with an offset deviation of less than 0.001 inches.

3. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 1 wherein the orifice has a diameter less than or equal to 0.005 inches and the jet channel has a diameter less than 0.010 inches.

4. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 1 wherein the orifice has a diameter less than or equal to 0.003 inches and the jet channel has a diameter less than 0.008 inches.

5. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 1 wherein the orifice diameter is less than or equal to 0.002 inches and the jet channel diameter is less than 0.006 inches.

6. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of orifice mount adjusters configured to adjust a position of the orifice mount in a plane transverse to an axis defined by the orifice to align a fluid jet produced at the orifice with a jet channel of the nozzle.

7. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 1 further comprising:

a mixing chamber insert comprising a mixing chamber through which the fluid jet passes during operation, an abrasive inlet conduit through which abrasive flows to the mixing chamber during operation, and an abrasive outlet conduit through which abrasive flows from the mixing chamber during operation, the location of the intersection of the abrasive inlet conduit and the mixing chamber being vertically offset from the location of the intersection of the abrasive outlet conduit and the mixing chamber.

8. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 1 wherein the nozzle body comprises:

an abrasive entry passage extending from an exterior of the nozzle body to the mixing chamber for supplying abrasive to mix with a fluid jet produced at the orifice during operation, the abrasive entry passage defining an abrasive entry direction; and

an abrasive exit passage extending from an exterior of the nozzle body to the mixing chamber for extracting abrasive that is not mixed with the fluid jet, the abrasive exit passage defining an abrasive exit direction, and

wherein an angle of divergence, defined by the abrasive entry direction and the abrasive exit direction, projected onto a reference plane perpendicular to an axis defined by the fluid jet is between 30 degrees and 150 degrees.

9. A fluid jet cutting system comprising the fluid jet cutting head of claim 10 and further comprising:

an abrasive feed line coupling a source of abrasive material to the nozzle body and having an abrasive entry passage for supplying abrasive to the mixing chamber insert; and

an abrasive suction line coupling a vacuum source to the nozzle body and having an abrasive exit passage for assisting in drawing abrasive into and extracting abrasive not mixed with the fluid jet from the mixing chamber insert during operation, an

Wherein a cross-sectional area of the abrasive entrance passage of the abrasive supply line is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the abrasive exit passage of the abrasive suction line.

10. A method of operating a fluid jet cutting system, comprising:

supplying a fluid stream at an operating pressure of at least 60,000psi to an orifice of an orifice unit of an orifice mount disposed within a cutting head of the fluid jet system to produce a fluid jet that passes through a mixing chamber before passing through a jet channel of a nozzle located downstream of the mixing chamber, the orifice having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.010 inches, the jet channel having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.015 inches;

mixing abrasive with the fluid jet within the mixing chamber to form an abrasive fluid jet to be discharged from the cutting head via the jet passage of the nozzle; and

discharging the abrasive fluid jet from the cutting head to treat a workpiece or work surface.

11. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

adjusting an alignment of an orifice of the orifice mount relative to a fluidic channel of the nozzle prior to supplying the fluid flow such that the orifice and the fluidic channel are axially aligned with an offset deviation of less than 0.001 inches.

12. The method of claim 14, wherein mixing abrasive with the fluid jet comprises mixing abrasive particles having a maximum particle diameter of one third of the diameter of the jet passage with the fluid jet.

13. The method of claim 14, wherein discharging the abrasive fluid jet from the cutting head to treat the workpiece or work surface comprises intermittently discharging the abrasive fluid jet from the cutting head, and the method further comprises:

the abrasive is continuously supplied to the mixing chamber without interruption during the entire intermittent discharge of the abrasive fluid jet.

14. The method of claim 14, wherein mixing abrasive with the fluid jet comprises continuously supplying the abrasive particles to the mixing chamber at a rate of less than or equal to 0.5 pounds per minute throughout the discharge of the abrasive fluid jet.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

supplying a flow of fluid through an orifice of the orifice mount at an alignment pressure level to produce a low pressure fluid jet;

observing alignment of the low pressure fluid jet with the jet channel; and

adjusting a position of the orifice mount based on a result of the observation until the orifice is aligned with the fluidic channel.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein mixing abrasive with the fluid jet within the mixing chamber comprises introducing abrasive into the mixing chamber at a first location and removing abrasive from the mixing chamber at a second location upstream of the first location relative to a flow path of the fluid jet through the mixing chamber during operation.

17. A fluid jet cutting head comprising:

a nozzle body having an orifice mount receiving cavity;

an orifice mount received within an orifice mount receiving cavity of the nozzle body, the orifice mount including an orifice unit having an orifice for generating a fluid jet during operation;

a fluid delivery body having a fluid delivery conduit to supply a flow of fluid through an orifice of the orifice mount to generate a jet of fluid during operation;

a nozzle having a fluidic channel from which a fluid jet from the fluid jet cutting head is discharged; and

18. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 23 wherein the plurality of orifice mount adjusters comprise a plurality of set screws coupled to the nozzle body and operable to displace the orifice mount in a plane transverse to an axis of the orifice.

19. The fluid jet cutting system of claim 23, further comprising:

a mixing chamber insert comprising a mixing chamber through which the fluid jet passes during operation, an abrasive inlet conduit through which an abrasive stream passes to the mixing chamber during operation, and an abrasive outlet conduit through which abrasive flows out of the mixing chamber during operation.

20. The fluid jet cutting system of claim 26, wherein the mixing chamber insert further comprises an abrasive inlet port coupling the abrasive inlet conduit to the mixing chamber, and an abrasive outlet port coupling the abrasive outlet conduit to the mixing chamber, the abrasive outlet port being located upstream of the abrasive inlet port relative to a flow path of the fluid jet through the mixing chamber during operation.

21. The fluid jet cutting system of claim 23 wherein:

the cross-sectional profile of the orifice is circular, having a diameter less than or equal to 0.010 inches; and

the cross-sectional profile of the jet passage of the nozzle is circular and has a diameter of less than or equal to 0.015 inches.

22. A method of operating a fluid jet cutting head comprising:

positioning an orifice mount within a nozzle body of the fluid jet cutting head, the orifice mount including an orifice unit having an orifice for generating a fluid jet during operation;

observing alignment of the low pressure fluid jet with a jet passage of a nozzle of the fluid jet cutting head; and

adjusting a position of the orifice mount based on a result of the observation until the orifice is aligned with a fluidic channel of the nozzle.

23. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

after adjusting the position of the orifice mount, a fluid flow at an operating pressure, the operating pressure being higher than the alignment pressure level, is supplied to the orifice of the orifice mount to generate a high pressure fluid jet for treating a workpiece or a working surface.

24. The method of claim 29, wherein adjusting the position of the orifice mount comprises adjusting at least one of a plurality of set screws coupled to the nozzle body and operable to displace the orifice mount in a plane transverse to an axis of the orifice.

25. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

after adjusting the position of the orifice mount, a low pressure fluid jet is used to confirm a desired alignment of the orifice mount with a jet passage of a nozzle of the fluid jet cutting head.

26. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

after adjusting the position of the orifice mount and confirming the desired alignment of the orifice mount, the orifice mount is securely fixed in place by manipulating the nozzle body relative to a fluid delivery body having a fluid delivery conduit for supplying fluid to the orifice mount.

27. The method of claim 36, wherein securely holding the orifice mount in place without applying torque to the orifice mount is achieved when the nozzle body is manipulated relative to the fluid delivery body.

28. The method of claim 36, wherein manipulating the nozzle body relative to the fluid delivery body includes twisting the nozzle body relative to the fluid delivery body.

29. A mixing chamber insert for a fluid jet cutting head, the mixing chamber insert comprising:

a mixing chamber;

an abrasive inlet passage extending from an exterior of the mixing chamber insert to the mixing chamber;

an abrasive outlet passage extending from an exterior of the mixing chamber insert to the mixing chamber;

a fluidic channel extending from an exterior of the mixing chamber insert to the mixing chamber, an

Wherein the abrasive outlet passage intersects the mixing chamber at a withdrawal location upstream of an inlet location where the abrasive inlet passage intersects the mixing chamber relative to a flow path of the fluid jet through the jet passage and the mixing chamber.

30. The mixing chamber insert of claim 50, wherein:

the abrasive inlet channel defines an abrasive inlet direction,

the abrasive outlet passage defining an abrasive outlet direction, an

An angle of divergence, defined by the abrasive inlet direction and the abrasive outlet direction, projected onto a reference plane perpendicular to an axis defined by the fluidic channel is between 30 degrees and 150 degrees.

31. A fluid jet cutting head comprising the mixing chamber insert of claim 50, and further comprising:

a nozzle body within which the mixing chamber insert is received;

an abrasive feed line coupled to the nozzle body and having an abrasive entry passage for supplying abrasive to the mixing chamber insert; and

an abrasive suction line coupled to the nozzle body and having an abrasive exit passage for assisting in drawing abrasive into and extracting abrasive not mixed with the fluid jet from the mixing chamber insert during operation, and

wherein the abrasive material entry passage has a cross-sectional area that is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the abrasive material exit passage.

32. A fluid jet cutting head comprising the mixing chamber insert of claim 50, and further comprising:

a nozzle body having an orifice mount receiving cavity;

an orifice mount received within an orifice mount receiving cavity of the nozzle body, the orifice mount including an orifice unit having an orifice for generating a fluid jet during operation, the orifice having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.010 inches; and

a nozzle having a fluidic channel from which a fluid jet from the fluid jet cutting head is discharged, the fluidic channel having a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter of less than or equal to 0.015 inches.

33. A fluid jet cutting head comprising the mixing chamber insert of claim 50, and further comprising:

a nozzle body having an orifice mount receiving cavity;

a plurality of orifice mount adjusters configured to adjust a position of the orifice mount in a plane transverse to an axis defined by the orifice to align a fluid jet produced by the orifice with a jet passage of the nozzle.

Claims

1. A fluid jet cutting head comprising:

a nozzle body;

6. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 1 wherein the ratio of the diameter of the jet channel to the diameter of the orifice mount is less than or equal to 3.0 and greater than or equal to 1.5.

7. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 1 further comprising:

8. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 1 further comprising:

9. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 8 wherein the mixing chamber insert includes an abrasive inlet port at a location of an intersection of the abrasive inlet conduit and the mixing chamber, an abrasive outlet port at an intersection of the abrasive outlet conduit and the mixing chamber, and the abrasive outlet port is closer to the jet inlet of the mixing chamber insert than the abrasive inlet port, such that during operation the abrasive outlet port is upstream of the abrasive inlet port relative to a flow path of the fluid jet through the mixing chamber insert.

10. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 1 wherein the nozzle body comprises:

11. A fluid jet cutting system comprising the fluid jet cutting head of claim 10 and further comprising:

12. A fluid jet cutting system comprising the fluid jet cutting head of claim 1 and further comprising:

a high pressure pump in fluid communication with the fluid jet cutting head and operable to supply the high pressure fluid to the orifice at an operating pressure of at least 90,000 psi.

13. A fluid jet cutting system comprising the fluid jet cutting head of claim 1 and further comprising:

a supply of abrasive particles to be supplied to the mixing chamber during operation, the abrasive particles having a maximum particle diameter of one third of the diameter of the jet passage.

14. A method of operating a fluid jet cutting system, comprising:

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

16. The method of claim 14, wherein mixing abrasive with the fluid jet comprises mixing abrasive particles having a maximum particle diameter of one third of the diameter of the jet passage with the fluid jet.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein mixing abrasive with the fluid jet comprises continuously supplying the abrasive particles to the mixing chamber throughout the discharge of the abrasive fluid jet.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein discharging the abrasive fluid jet from the cutting head to treat the workpiece or work surface comprises intermittently discharging the abrasive fluid jet from the cutting head, and the method further comprises:

19. The method of claim 14, wherein mixing abrasive with the fluid jet comprises continuously supplying the abrasive particles to the mixing chamber at a rate of less than or equal to 0.5 pounds per minute throughout the discharge of the abrasive fluid jet.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein supplying the fluid flow to the orifice of the orifice mount comprises supplying the fluid flow at an operating pressure of at least 90,000 psi.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

observing alignment of the low pressure fluid jet with the jet channel; and

22. The method of claim 14, wherein mixing abrasive with the fluid jet within the mixing chamber comprises introducing abrasive into the mixing chamber at a first location and removing abrasive from the mixing chamber at a second location upstream of the first location relative to a flow path of the fluid jet through the mixing chamber during operation.

23. A fluid jet cutting head comprising:

a nozzle body having an orifice mount receiving cavity;

24. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 23 wherein the plurality of orifice mount adjusters comprise a plurality of set screws coupled to the nozzle body and operable to displace the orifice mount in a plane transverse to an axis of the orifice.

25. The fluid jet cutting system of claim 24 wherein the orifice mount adjuster further comprises a plurality of dowel pins axially displaceable by the plurality of set screws to engage and displace the orifice mount.

26. The fluid jet cutting system of claim 23, further comprising:

27. The fluid jet cutting system of claim 26, wherein the mixing chamber insert further comprises an abrasive inlet port coupling the abrasive inlet conduit to the mixing chamber, and an abrasive outlet port coupling the abrasive outlet conduit to the mixing chamber, the abrasive outlet port being located upstream of the abrasive inlet port relative to a flow path of the fluid jet through the mixing chamber during operation.

28. The fluid jet cutting system of claim 23 wherein:

29. A method of operating a fluid jet cutting head comprising:

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

urging the orifice mount into sealing engagement with the fluid delivery body having a fluid delivery conduit for supplying fluid to the orifice mount prior to supplying fluid flow through the orifice of the orifice mount at the alignment pressure level.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein urging the orifice mount into sealing engagement with the fluid delivery body comprises compressing a sealing member to a first extent, and further comprising:

further urging the orifice mount into sealing engagement with the fluid delivery body to compress the sealing member to a second extent higher than the first extent before supplying a fluid flow at an operating pressure through the orifice of the orifice mount to generate a high pressure fluid jet for treating a workpiece or working surface.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein adjusting the position of the orifice mount comprises adjusting at least one of a plurality of set screws coupled to the nozzle body and operable to displace the orifice mount in a plane transverse to an axis of the orifice.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein adjusting at least one of the plurality of set screws includes advancing at least one of the set screws to axially move one of a plurality of corresponding dowel pins to engage and displace the orifice mount.

35. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

37. The method of claim 36, wherein securely holding the orifice mount in place without applying torque to the orifice mount is achieved when the nozzle body is manipulated relative to the fluid delivery body.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein manipulating the nozzle body relative to the fluid delivery body includes twisting the nozzle body relative to the fluid delivery body.

39. The method of claim 29, wherein adjusting the position of the orifice mount until the orifice is aligned with the fluidic channel of the nozzle comprises moving the orifice mount until the orifice is axially aligned with the fluidic channel with an offset deviation of less than 0.001 inches.

40. A nozzle body of a fluid jet cutting head, the nozzle body comprising:

an orifice mount receiving cavity sized and shaped to receive an orifice mount having an orifice unit with an orifice for generating a fluid jet when high pressure fluid passes therethrough during operation;

a mixing chamber positioned adjacent to the orifice mount receiving cavity;

an abrasive entry passage extending from an exterior of the nozzle body to the mixing chamber for supplying abrasive to mix with a fluid jet produced by the orifice during operation, the abrasive entry passage defining an abrasive entry direction; and

an abrasive exit passage extending from an exterior of the nozzle body to the mixing chamber for drawing off abrasive that is not mixed with the fluid jet, the abrasive exit passage defining an abrasive exit direction,

41. The nozzle body of claim 40, wherein the divergent angle is between 45 degrees and 135 degrees.

42. The nozzle body of claim 40, wherein the divergent angle is between 60 degrees and 120 degrees.

43. The nozzle body of claim 40, wherein the divergent angle is about 90 degrees.

44. The nozzle body of claim 40, wherein an abrasive entry direction defined by the abrasive entry passage and an abrasive exit direction defined by the abrasive exit passage are each perpendicular to an axis defined by the fluid jet.

45. A fluid jet cutting head comprising the nozzle body of claim 40 and further comprising:

a source of abrasive material coupled to the abrasive inlet passage for supplying abrasive to be mixed with the fluid jet; and

a vacuum source coupled to the abrasive exit channel to assist in drawing abrasive into the mixing chamber and for drawing abrasive that is not mixed with the fluid jet.

46. A fluid jet cutting head comprising the nozzle body of claim 40, further comprising:

an orifice mount received within an orifice mount receiving cavity of the nozzle body;

a fluid delivery body having a fluid delivery conduit to supply a flow of fluid through an orifice of the orifice mount to generate a jet of fluid during operation; and

a nozzle having a fluidic channel from which a fluid jet from the fluid jet cutting head is discharged.

47. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 46 further comprising:

48. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 46 wherein the orifice has a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter less than or equal to 0.010 inches and the jet channel has a circular cross-sectional profile with a diameter less than or equal to 0.015 inches.

49. The fluid jet cutting head of claim 46 further comprising:

a mixing chamber insert defining a mixing chamber and further comprising:

50. A mixing chamber insert for a fluid jet cutting head, the mixing chamber insert comprising:

a mixing chamber;

51. The mixing chamber insert of claim 50, wherein:

the abrasive inlet channel defines an abrasive inlet direction,

the abrasive outlet passage defining an abrasive outlet direction, an

52. A fluid jet cutting head comprising the mixing chamber insert of claim 50, and further comprising:

a nozzle body within which the mixing chamber insert is received;

53. A fluid jet cutting head comprising the mixing chamber insert of claim 50, and further comprising:

a nozzle body having an orifice mount receiving cavity;

54. A fluid jet cutting head comprising the mixing chamber insert of claim 50, and further comprising:

a nozzle body having an orifice mount receiving cavity;